Solace
by Nueva Yui Maxwell
Summary: She had to learn to live with the real meaning of being a superhero. He had to let go of his fears of commitment. In the midst of saving the world, they found solace in each other's arms. Season 6 spoilers. ChlOliver
1. Prologue, Land of Confusion

**Solace**

Prologue – Land of Confusion

_Now, this is the world we live in  
And these are the hands we're given  
Use them and let's start trying  
To make it a place worth fighting for_

_This is the world we live in  
And these are the names we're given  
Stand up and let's start showing  
Just where our lives are going to_  
(Land of Confusion – Disturbed)

"Miss Sullivan?"

Chloe looked up from her laptop, mildly annoyed at the interruption. Her eyes locked upon the courier in front of her desk. She quickly stood up, extending her hand to take the envelope he was presenting her.

"Sign here, please"

The petite blonde obliged, noticing that there was no sending address on the form. She frowned a moment as she reached in her pocket for the courier's tip: she wasn't expecting anything from any of her sources.

"...Can you tell me where it comes from?" she asked innocently. The courier shook his head:

"I'd tell you if I knew. But all I was told was that it had to be delivered as soon as possible, no matter what." he answered, refusing the young woman's cash before taking his form and leaving.

Chloe sat down, weighing and feeling the envelope. It was of standard size, but she could feel that there was more than paper in it. Her heartbeat rose slightly at the thought of her first real big tip for a story. Looking around to make sure she had not attracted attention, she opened her package. She nearly laughed when its content spilled on her desk. To anyone else, it would have meant nothing, but she knew exactly the message behind the three objects before her. She picked up the white keycard, and looked at it carefully. It was plain with a magnetic band, the only decoration being the Queen's Industries logo engraved in the plastic. The second item was a keychain representing Metropolis Clock Tower. It was the last item that made her raise an eyebrow, her lips curving into a small smirk: it was a simple white business card in the form of an arrow. On it was written in green ink '7PM'.

Chloe turned the card several time between her fingers as she made a call on her cell phone.

"Jimmy? Yeah...I won't be able to make it tonight...I'm sorry...Something big came up at work...Nah, it's ok, thanks for offering...Tomorrow's fine for me...I'll miss you too. Bye!" she hangs up, smiling as she looked at the time. Only two hours before show time now...

* * *

Slipping the keycard in the slot in front of the elevator's doors, Chloe couldn't help but hold her breath for a moment, half expecting her access to be denied. But the doors opened and she stepped in, her heartbeat raising slightly at the thought of what was waiting for her at the penthouse. The elevator ride seemed to take forever and when she finally walked into the apartment, she discovered that she was alone. She felt a slight tug in her heart and frowned, wondering why it was bothering her at all. She looked around, finding the apartment oddly clean despite the tenant being absent for the past three months.

She walked to Oliver's desk and laughed, shaking her head slightly at the sight of the green laptop on it. His obsession with the colour is going to be his downfall, Chloe thought. On one side of the computer was a coffee machine complete with her favourite beans and snacks. The young woman instantly knew Clark had been the one giving away such information to Oliver. The gesture still made Chloe smile and she thanked the restlessness that had made her come in half an hour before the rendez-vous time.

Finding the kitchen on the second floor of the apartment, she rummaged through the cabinets and picked up the biggest mug she could find, making a mental note of buying a bigger one if she ever come back. Apparently, the richer you are, the smaller the mugs you buy, thought Chloe with a small smile as she walked down the stairs. The scent of freshly brewed coffee was already filling the air and she poured the black liquid in her mug as she opened the laptop. When the computer promptly asked for a password, she entered without much thinking her codename, and was almost disappointed when the program granted her access. She was somehow expecting something tackier for a password, something like '2hot4green'. Chloe shook her head, chuckling slightly: she was spending too much time with Clark. Not all superheroes had to be easy to read through like the Man of Steel. She picked up the small headset by the computer and put it on, suddenly reminded of the first time she had helped Clark's friend in rescuing their youngest recruit.

The alarm on her watch beeped, marking the T time, and Chloe sat down behind Oliver's desk as one of the big screens reeled down on its own. The black image quickly made place to the grinning face of Impulse.

"Hola, mi bella Conchita..." he greeted her before taking a step back, revealing the presence of his teammates.

Chloe stopped her eyes from rolling and could only imagine the wink Bart had given her behind his sunglasses. She smiled back at them:

"Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman." she said, each of her greetings answered with either a blown away kiss, a simple head nod or a trademark smile. The young men moved away from view, leaving the space to their leader.

"Green Arrow." Chloe nodded slowly to the impassive face of the man on the screen, taking a sip of her coffee in hope to settle down the wave of excitement the sight of the superheroes had caused in the pit of her stomach.

The view of the petite blonde sitting behind his desk halfway across the globe relieved Oliver more than he would have wanted to admit. They desperately needed her help and guidance for their next mission, and he had been afraid she would have been already busy helping Clark saving his own world. She looked as she had been doing this for years, her back conformably pressed against the leather chair of his office, leaning back slightly as she drank her coffee. He looked closer at her and couldn't help being impressed: if she was nervous, she was hiding it very well. Then he finally noticed that her position was not purposeful: her feet were barely touching the ground. Her faked confidence reminded him how nervous they all were on their first mission and he smirked slightly as he finally greeted her:

"Watchtower."

Chloe answered Green Arrow's smirk with a grin of her own before she sat up: "Alright, boys. How may I be of service tonight?"

* * *

To be continued… 


	2. Chapter 1, Save Me

**Solace**

Chapter 1 – Save me

_Somebody save me,  
Let your warm hands break right through,  
Somebody save me,  
I don't care how you do it,  
Just stay (stay with me)  
I made this whole world shine for you...  
Just stay, stay  
C'mon, I'm still waiting for you_

(Save Me – Remy Zero)

"Remind me why I'm the one out here again?" Chloe asked as she pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. She nearly groaned when the wind picked up around the observation tower, messing with her hair, as if mocking her efforts to look somewhat presentable. She zipped up her sweater in hope to keep away the chill of the breeze, considering for a moment pulling her hood over her blonde curls.

"Because you're the only one that can blend in, Watchtower", the neutral voice of Cyborg answering her question through her small headset, small enough to be easily mistaken for one of those Blue tooth phone.

"That's just some polite way to say that you're the only one that hasn't had their face on the Most Wanted Criminals list," joked Aquaman, bringing a smile on the young woman's face.

"And because of you guys, I'm on a fast way to get there…" she replied, moving slowly away from the group of tourists she had been hanging out with until they had gotten to the tower. It was high enough to give a great view of the city, and with the proper equipment, a great view of the latest Luthorcorp facility. Good thing Queen Industries had invested in optics years earlier, she though as she pulled out the camera from her purse.

"Aw, come on, Conchita, at least you get to see Prague for free…" chuckled Impulse.

"…If by see, you mean visit, then I'll have to remind you that twenty-four hours is not nearly enough for us slow mortals to see a city as big and as beautiful as Prague. You better get that Swiss chocolate you promised, boy, or there will be hell to be pay for your little red ass…" Chloe soft smile turned into a grin as she heard AC laughing out loud as Bart groaned slightly at her comment.

"Guys, can we get back to our main objective here?" the deep voice of Green Arrow asked through the communication line. They settled down, but Chloe could have sworn she had perceived a smirk in Oliver's voice tone.

"Can you see the target, Watchtower?"

"Yup…sending images right now…" the petite blonde answered in a serious tone as she picked up the camera, zooming in on the Luthorcorp facility and taking as many pictures from as many different angles she could get.

It was Chloe's first time on the field. Oliver and her would usually find a way to get to the information about the facilities the boys would attack, but this one had been troublesome to tackle in. None of her contacts at Luthorcorp had been able to give information about the newly opened factory, and Queen Industries' satellites had given very few clear pictures. It seemed that Lex was getting to them, and security was harder and harder to get by. The next natural step had been to go back to the old days of espionage: a plain looking camera that was sending images in real time to her computer back in Metropolis and to the one in their hotel room.

Lying on a nearby rooftop, Green Arrow watched the young woman waved to the guide as he called the group attention to the other side of the tower, pointing to one of Prague's oldest church. He smiled as Watchtower played her role and took a couple of pictures of the mentioned building. As soon as the guide let the group free to look at the city on their own, she innocently walked back to her previous spot, taking random pictures on the way, making Cyborg grumbled something about women on vacation. The arrival of a new group of tourists marked the end of Chloe's group time on the observation tower. He could see that she was trying to get as much pictures as she could before being dragged down the building. Reviewing the new group, Green Arrow cursed:

"Guys, we have company…DON'T turn around Watchtower", he said as Chloe turned slightly around to see whom he was talking about. "I'm on my way…put on your hood on and get out of there as fast as you can…Impulse, I'll need clothes…"he said, shooting an iron-wired arrow at the back of the tower's entrance, clipping his bow before sliding down the wire, not caring at all about the dangerous height he was dangling over.

"Got ya boss…" the boy said, disappearing from the hotel room as his two teammates looked at each other, perplexed.

On the top of the observation tower, Chloe slowly pulled her hood over her head, shoving the camera back in her purse as she made her way to the exit, lowering her head slightly. She felt her heart raced, the blood pumping to her ears the closer she was getting to the door. She would have made if it had not been for the wind picking up, sending her hood backwards, freeing her blonde strands.

"Chloe? Chloe, is that you?"

The young woman stopped dead in her track. Of all voices she could have heard, it was the only one she wished she hadn't. Calming her erratic breathing, she composed herself as she tried to come up with a good explanation for her presence before she turned around, smiling.

"Lana? Hey! What are you doing here?" she said, pulling the brunette in a hug. Lana hugged her back, laughing slightly:

"Well, you know…Lex said I needed to the see the world and all…So we came here on our way to China," she answered before facing Chloe, "I'm glad to see you! I've missed you a lot on our traveling. Did you got my postcards?"

Chloe nodded, inwardly thankful for Lana's silence about her presence at the end of the world. Although the brunette was probably dying to ask the circumstances of their meeting in Prague, she would wait until Chloe explained the situation by herself. Lana's husband was nowhere near that nice, and she felt a wave of panic washing over her as she saw him join them.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly, an eyebrow raised in suspicion, eyes as cold as his heart.

"Well…you see…it' a long story…very…complicated…you…wouldn't find it interesting anyway…" she stuttered, cursing herself for letting him intimidate her. The bald man smirked at her words:

"Try me…"

Chloe swallowed, trying not to choke. She licked her lips, her mind racing:

"Well…you see…it all started about a mo…"

"There you are Sunshine! I'm sorry I made you wait…" Chloe looked back to meet Oliver's twinkling brown eyes as he put one hand on the small of her back, bending slightly to kiss her temple.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now." Chloe said in one breath, leaning against him, trembling slightly. Her body against his instantly warmed her up despite the chilling air. She was close enough to him to smell the faint traces of leather on his skin, and she wondered how much of his Green Arrow gear was hidden underneath the expensive clothing. Chloe swayed slightly at the thought of their mission being blown in pieces because of her ties to the Luthor family. Although the movement was nearly imperceptible, Oliver felt it and moved his hand to her side, steadying her before looking down at her, trying not to frown as he saw her looking at the ground.

In the safety of Oliver's presence, Chloe tried to recompose herself. She had a hard time understanding her sudden faltering in front of Lex Luthor. Never before she had felt that much threatened by him. But ever since she had learned of her yet to be known abilities, she had come to be even more wary of the bald man. She had seen first hand what the length he was ready to go with people like her, and she didn't want to become another nameless headstone in Smallville's cemetery. She straightened up as she felt her partner gaze upon her, trying to look as comfortable around his overwhelming presence as she could.

"Oliver Queen." The blond man looked up when he heard his name, and gritted his teeth, keeping himself from glaring at the man in front of him. Somehow, the effect he had on the blonde by his side was unnerving Oliver, and he wondered why for a moment.

"Lex Luthor." He answered with a short nod. The two men stared at each other for a moment that felt like eternity to Chloe before Lana broke the silence as she chuckled softly:

"I know now why you said the reasons why you're here wouldn't interest Lex, Chloe." The blonde woman looked to meet the teasing gaze of her friend. She felt the brunette pull her in another hug and heard her whisper:

"I see much has changed since I left Smallville…When I get back, I believe you own me coffee and explanations…" Chloe laughed lightly and nodded, relieved by her best friend's reaction.

"I'm surprise you think Prague as a romantic escapade. You seem to me more like the type to like Tahiti, Queen," said Lex, still holding his glaring contest with the taller man. The remark brought Oliver's lips up into his trademark smirk:

"I am. But I'm actually here to meet with Bruce Wayne, and I knew Chloe had never seen the Old World, so I thought it would be a good occasion for her to visit one of the most beautiful cities in Europe."

"Bruce Wayne? You're doing business with Wayne Enterprises?" asked the bald man, surprise slipping through his voice. "I met with him this morning, and he never mentioned Queen Industries being involved with his company. If I had known..."

Oliver shrugged at the allusion, knowing too well that Bruce would never get involved in the same type of business than Luthorcorp, albeit Lex's numerous effort to do business with the older billionaire.

"If you met him this morning, that would explain his bad mood this afternoon..." answered the blond man, smirking as he held up Lex's murderous glare. Chloe tried not to chuckle, more for Lana's sake, whom seemed caught between holding back Lex and scolding Oliver.

The long moment of silence was broken by Oliver's cell phone ringing. He reached to the pocket in his vest, somewhat surprised Impulse had thought of grabbing the phone while getting some clothes. The boy's growing faster than I expected, the blond man thought. He smirked slightly as he looked at the caller's number and waved the phone in front of Lex:

"Looks like I have a deal here. If you would excuse me…" he said before picking up the call, moving away from the group to get some privacy: "Brucey! So glad to hear from you so fast!"

"Brucey? Isn't that a little bit…familiar for a business partner?" innocently asked Lana to a seriously unhappy looking Lex. Her husband nodded:

"Indeed. But Wayne was our upper classmate at Excelsior, and Queen and him were on the rugby team. However, I remember clearly Bruce hating the nickname."

Chloe chuckled slightly, trying to imagine the face of Bruce Wayne as he heard the dreaded nickname. She had never met the dark haired billionaire in person, but had interacted with him enough through different missions to know he would be scowling. But Chloe knew Oliver had used the nickname on purpose to warn Bruce he was without privacy; it had been a long time since he had dropped the name, due to the utter respect he held for his elder friend.

Their attention was again drew to the blond billionaire as his soft laugh echoed to them. Chloe doubted Bruce had truly made a joke, and had to admit that Oliver had great acting talents.

"It looks like it's going well!" exclaimed Lana, honestly happy for Oliver's success, despite the fact that she had never really liked him. But it seemed in her eyes that it was important to be compassionate and able to be truly happy for other's good fortune. It was the only way Lana could retain the small ounce of innocence left untainted by her husband. The only way she thought she could keep her heart from turning to stone.

"It does," Lex said through gritting teeth. He couldn't help the rise of jealousy towards Queen's ability to secure a business deal with one of the most difficult man in the world.

"The four of us should go out to dinner to celebrate then!" the brunette suggested, despite the fact she knew she would face resistance from all parties. Indeed, Chloe was about to protest, knowing she had to watch over the boy's mission during the night, but Lex cut her short:

"I don't think it's a good idea, Lana. I have something to check at the new facility, you know that."

"And I'm sure it can wait, Lex. I haven't seen Chloe since…" her voice broke for a moment, remembering why she had been traveling around the world, "…since the wedding" she chose to lie. "It would be nice to be around people our age for once…Please Lex…for me?" she asked, giving her husband the look she knew he had trouble resisting. The man sighed:

"All right…" Chloe raised an eyebrow, not remembering Lex conceding victory, not once. "…but only if Queen agrees too." The blonde nearly smirked; of course Lex would not only let Lana win, but also he would find a way to deject the fault on someone else.

"Only if I agree to what?"

The trio turned around to see him join them with a grin. He slipped the cell phone in his pocket and casually put an arm around Chloe's shoulders as if it had always belonged there.

"To the four of us going out to dinner to celebrate your success, Mr. Queen," answered Lana, looking at him expectantly.

Oliver exchanged a glance with Chloe, and the petite woman hoped her negative answer to her friend's request was written all over her green eyes. But her fake boyfriend winked at her before trailing his knuckles up and down her back, unknowingly sending shivers through her spine. He looked directly at Lex, fully smirking as he replied to Lana:

"But of course, Mrs. Luthor. It'll be our pleasure to join you for dinner."

* * *

To be continued…

Constructive criticism is very much welcome. A huge thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, Mel. Every writer should have a beta like her!


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